CHICAGO LIVE! Announces 2012 Spring Season Guest Lineup

CHICAGO LIVE!, with its weekly gathering of newsmakers from all facets of Chicago life, including entrepreneurs, students, civic leaders, artists and entertainers, starts its new season on Thursday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at UP Comedy Club at 230 W. North Avenue.

Described by critics as "the best happy hour in the city" and "unique, fun and entertaining," CHICAGO LIVE! showcases an exciting lineup with particular emphasis on music, featuring The Blisters, David Hernandez and Street Sounds, Kelly Hogan, Scott Lucas and the Married Men, Henhouse Prowlers, the Waco Brothers, Funkadesi and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins.

The Smashing Pumpkins front man will close out the spring season with a return to the CHICAGO LIVE! stage on June 28, nearly a year after his first appearance. He will be interviewed by Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot before a live performance, with songs from The Smashing Pumpkin's ninth studio album, "Oceania," which will be released on June 19. Corgan's favorite photographer, the legendary Art Shay, will also be part of the show.

Other notable guests booked for this season include artists Dawoud Bey and Jessica Stockholder, Ikram owner and stylist Ikram Goldman, playwrights John Conroy and Andrew White, comedian Hannibal Buress, Blagojevich prosecutor and novelist David Ellis, Chief Innovation Officer and Director of the Firefly Music Festival Greg Bostrom, actress/director Susan Messing, Chicago River Canoe and Kayak owner Ryan Chew, writer/actress Debra Ehrhardt, Cook County Forest Preserve Superintendent Arnold Randall, Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Michelle Boone and recipients of the Tribune's Illinois High School All-State Academic Team Scholarship. Additional guests will be added throughout the season. Updates, show recaps, podcasts, photos, video and the Behind the Curtain blog are available at www.chicagolive.com.

Rick Kogan is CHICAGO LIVE!'s host. Each week, the Tribune's veteran reporter and author offers audiences a slice of Chicago life via guest interviews and his popular "Almanac" segment. Robert Feder of Time Out Chicago noted, "Kogan has ascended to a new title as his generation's Mr. Chicago. I defy anyone to argue otherwise -- especially after witnessing his tour de force onstage."

CHICAGO LIVE! is a weekly live stage show produced by the Chicago Tribune for WGN-AM radio in partnership with The Second City. This 60-minute, multiplatform show brings the Tribune to life, featuring news interviews, arts performances and comedy by The Second City presented with a unique Chicago perspective. CHICAGO LIVE! is taped in front of a live audience on Thursdays at 7 p.m. May 10 through June 28 and is broadcast on WGN (720AM) Saturdays at 11 p.m. More than 200 guests have appeared on CHICAGO LIVE!, including Buddy Guy, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Dennis DeYoung, Cookie Monster, Lupe Fiasco and Rick Bayless.

Full- and half-season ticket subscriptions to the 2012 eight-week run of CHICAGO LIVE! are now available for purchase. Season passes are $115, four-show passes are $60 and individual tickets are $18. Visit www.chicagolive.com for complete information and direct links to purchase tickets.

CHICAGO LIVE! is part of Trib Nation, which offers events, seminars and programming to the Chicago community. Trib Nation programs include Chicago Forward: Conversations About the Future, a series of panel discussions exploring issues of great importance to the region; TribU, a multiplatform content program of classes and seminars focusing on personal and professional enrichment; Press Pass, programs with Chicago Tribune columnists and personalities; and Printers Row Live,monthly conversations with renowned authors. For more information on Trib Nation programs, please visit www.tribnation.com/events.

UP Comedy Club is the stand-up and comedy cabaret theater offering an eclectic line-up of stand-up, improvisation and family programming. In addition to a diverse slate of original programming, UP Comedy Club also features a full service restaurant and bar. For more information, please visit www.UPComedyClub.com.